Blog Post: Why I Recommend A Life Engineered as a Career Development Resource
Finding current career development advice is challenging. Much of what’s available was created before the rise of AI, during more stable economic times, and without today’s waves of layoffs.
As of November 2025, I discovered the YouTube channel, "A Life Engineered 🔗" which offered practical guidance on starting or advancing a software development career.
Note: I’m not affiliated with this creator. I found his advice helpful for its and concreteness, and recommend the following samples from his videos so you can decide whether his approach resonates with you.
About the Channel
Steve “Don’t Call Me Uncle” Huynh provides modern advice (as of 2025) about the tech industry, grounded in his experience at a big-name tech company. He focuses on delivering the guidance he wishes he had earlier in his career, and has been working full-time on his channel since leaving software.
Below are four starter videos I recommend. They should give you a sense of his style and whether his advice resonates with you. Be patient with some of the early videos, where his production skills, tone, and titles were still evolving.
1. Interview Preparation Strategy
"Preparing for Tech Interviews The Smart Way" 🔗 (from 10:17 to 12:45)
Huynh suggests ratios for investing your preparation time based on your stage in the job search. While the numbers aren’t scientific, they offer a concrete starting point—far better than “do these three things”.
2. Sustainable Job Hunting
"How I Started 5 Successful Side Projects Without Burning Out" 🔗 (from 2:50 to 5:00)
Huynh discusses how to allocate your effort across work, self-care, and job hunting, again suggesting ratios. This video focuses on how job hunting should be managed across other priorities.
3. Time Management
"How I Have Time For Everything" 🔗 (from 1:53 to 3:03)
Huynh focuses on how to make job-hunting time more efficient: blocking out specific time ranges and staying focused on the task. The clip above highlights his method for maintaining focus during these blocks, which I recommend from this video if nothing else.
4. Setting Yourself Apart
"How To Stand Out In An Insanely Competitive Tech Market" 🔗 (from 0:55 to 2:03)
Setting aside the brief trick question he offers later in this video, Huynh explains how to meaningfully differentiate yourself from other candidates in the job application process.
Closing Thoughts
Finding practical advice that resonates is difficult, given the number of channels and websites offering guidance. If you’ve read this far, you and I may have similar tastes in content. And just as an acquaintance recommended A Life Engineered 🔗 to me, I recommend giving this channel a try. Keep in mind that Huynh is a self-taught creator, so some older videos may come across as snarky or gimmicky. If you can look past the delivery, there’s some solid material to consider adding to your job search.